Ward 4 City Council candidates Michael Burns and Mary O’Connell face a near-capacity crowd in the Lang Audience Room at the Westfield Athenaeum as they square off last night at a candidate forum staged by The Westfield News Group and the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – Incumbent City Councilor Mary O’Connell and challenger Mike Burns embrace many of the same positions, but still took the opportunity last night at a candidate forum to take a couple of shots at each other.
The Ward 4 City Council forum, sponsored by the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and the Westfield News Group in the Lang Auditorium of the Westfield Athenaeum, allowed the candidates to identify constituent issues and set priorities.
Both said that infrastructure issues are the top priority of Ward 4 residents, in particular the Western Avenue reconstruction project, but also including extension of sewer service, street acceptance and road maintenance.
Another major impact issue is the growth of Westfield State University and the resulting traffic along the Western Avenue corridor.
O’Connell said that the ward councilor, and city government as a whole, has to “work with the university, but growth there seems out of control.”
Burns countered that there is currently no meaningful communication between the city and the university.
“Communication has to come from the city,” Burns said. “We can’t shut out WSU. The college is willing to talk with the city, work with (ward 4) residents. We need a liaison and I feel I can do that.”
O’Connell countered that she has a number of university officials on “speed dial” and that she regularly is in communication with university administrators.
The controversial Western Avenue reconstruction project, intended to increase safety and relieve congestion, was a key talking point for both candidates.
“I’m not in favor of a massive wide-spread project,” O’Connell said. “The plans now are to divide it into two stages, so instead of a two-year project, it will now be a six to eight year project and will cost close to $10 million.
“The $2 million carrot does not justify a five, six, or seven year disruption,
O’Connell said. “We don’t need traffic islands. We don’t need traffic lights.”
Ward 4 City Council incumbent Mary O’Connell reacts to one of the self-deprecating jokes which her opponent, challenger Mike Burns, salted his remarks with during a candidates forum staged in the Lang Auditorium of the Westfield Athenaeum last night, sponsored by The Westfield News Group and the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Burns said that residents attending the Western Avenue Project informational meeting last week exhibited “a lot of emotion. We were given $2.5 million. We need to use that, but we have to agree on how we’re going to use it.”
Burns said that he still supports construction of an access road between the Westfield State campus and Russell Road (Route 20).
“The only way to address the traffic issue is to get that traffic off Western Avenue,” Burns said.
The two also discussed a number of fiscal issues including the tax levy, municipal spending, and economic development.
Burns said that the first time he campaigned against O’Connell it was because he “was upset with taxes.”
“Economic development is what we need to push,” Burns said. “Bring in new business, not any more trucking companies, but industry, factories, technology firms.
“The north side is a gold mine,” Burns said. “My pet peeve is the trucking companies. We don’t need to go there. We need to look for (emerging) technology.”
O’Connell, who founded a trucking company, took exception to that statement.
“Trucking is in my blood,” O’Connell said. “We used to have a saying that without trucks America stops.”
O’Connell said that city does need to attract new business to increase the tax base, but also needs to be protective of the city’s inventory of open space.
“We need to streamline the permitting process, establish a one-stop process for businesses coming into the city,” O’Connell said.
The two also sparred over the pending closure of Juniper Park Elementary School, and the impact of the delay of construction of the Ashley Street school project. Burns said that the present plan is to close Juniper Park in June of 2015. O’Connell said that the school will remain open past that date if needed.
O’Connell said that the city needs to “get its financial house in order” and that she would support “cutting funding for major development projects being undertaken, project that come with a price tag downtown. We need to catch our breath.”
Burns said that he could not cut the school or public safety budget to bring spending under control.
“We need to invest in education and we can’t cut the police or fire budgets. I won’t cut solid waste. It’s one of the direct benefits to residents,” he said. “I don’t like tax increases, so we have to cut somewhere or put a spending ceiling on the budget.”
